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Geopolymer concrete (GC) is a substantial sort that is created by utilizing metakaolin, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), silica fumes, fly ash, and other cementitious materials as binding ingredients. The current study concentrated on the structural behavior of the ferrocement geopolymer HSC-columns subjected to axial loading and produced using rice straw ash (RSA). The major goal of this research was to use the unique features of the ferrocement idea to manufacture members that function as columns bearing members. As they are more cost-effective and lower in weight, these designed elements can replace traditional RC members. The study also intended to reduce the cost of producing new parts by utilizing low-cost materials such as light weight expanded and welded wire meshes, polyethylene mesh (Tensar), and fiber glass mesh. For this purpose, an experimental plan was conducted and a finite element prototype with ANSYS2019-R1 was implemented. Nine geopolymer ferrocement columns of dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm × 1600 mm with different volume-fraction and layers as well as a number of metallic and nonmetallic meshes were examined under axial compression loading until failure. The performance of the geopolymer columns was examined with consideration to the mid-span deflection, ultimate failure load, first crack load with various phases of loading, the cracking patterns, energy absorption and ductility index. Expanded or welded ferrocement geopolymer columns showed greater ultimate failure loads than the control column. Additionally, using expanded or welded columns had a considerable effect on ultimate failure loads, where the welded wire mesh exhibited almost 28.10% compared with the expanded wire mesh. Columns reinforced with one-layer of nonmetallic Tensar-mesh obtained a higher ultimate failure load than all tested columns without concrete cover spalling. The analytical and experimental results were in good agreement. The results displayed an accepted performance of the ferrocement geopolymer HSC-columns.

Ferrocement panels, while offering various benefits, do not cover instances of low and moderated velocity impact. To address this problem and to enhance the impact strength against low-velocity impact, a fibrous ferrocement panel is proposed and investigated. This study aims to assess the flexural and low-velocity impact response of simply supported ferrocement panels reinforced with expanded wire mesh (EWM) and steel fibers. The experimental program covered 12 different ferrocement panel prototypes and was tested against a three-point flexural load and falling mass impact test. The ferrocement panel system comprises mortar reinforced with 1% and 2% dosage of steel fibers and an EWM arranged in 1, 2, and 3 layers. For mortar preparation, a water-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.4 was maintained and all panels were cured in water for 28 days. The primary endpoints of the investigation are first crack and ultimate load capacity, deflection corresponding to first crack and ultimate load, ductility index, flexural strength, crack width at ultimate load, a number of impacts needed to induce crack commencement and failure, ductility ratio, and failure mode. The finding revealed that the three-layers of EWM inclusion and steel fibers resulted in an additional impact resistance improvement at cracking and failure stages of ferrocement panels. With superior ultimate load capacity, flexural strength, crack resistance, impact resistance, and ductile response, as witnessed in the experiment program, ferrocement panel can be a positive choice for many construction applications subjected to repeated low-velocity impacts.

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the feasibility of using ferrocement jacketing, polypropylene fibers, and carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets (CFRP) to enhance the shear resistance of unreinforced brick masonry. The study involved testing 12 wall panels in diagonal compression, three of which were strengthened using each of the above-mentioned techniques. The results showed that all three strengthening techniques led to a significant improvement in the shear resistance and deformation capacity of the unreinforced walls. Furthermore, the results showed that the strengthened walls exhibited a significant improvement in shear resistance and deformation capacity by a factor of 3.3–4.7 and 3.7–6.8, respectively. These findings suggest that ferrocement jacketing is a viable and highly effective method for strengthening masonry structures. Test results can assist in the decision-making process to identify the most suitable design and retrofitting solution, which could indicate that not only new materials, but also traditional methods and materials (ferrocement) could be interesting and effective, also considering their lower initial cost.

Structural elements are subjected to different types of loads, one of which is a torsional load. Due to the complexity of the analysis, torsion was not given much importance in earlier days. With stringent updates in codal provisions and due to architectural modifications, torsion is now considered one of the major parameters for structural design. The main aim of this paper is to analyze distressed elements due to torsion. It highlights different approaches, such as destructive and non-destructive processes, to be adopted to estimate the torsional parameters of a ferrocement “U” wrapped beam. The destructive method is the experimental determination of parameters, which is absolutely necessary. The non-destructive method includes an analytical method based on a softened truss model as well as a soft computing method. The soft computing method is based on the regression coefficient analysis method along with two recent optimization algorithms, i.e., (1) ARO (artificial rabbits optimization) and (2) DAOA (dynamic arithmetic optimization algorithm). The predicted results are found to be in agreement with the experimental values (destructive method). Lastly, the obtained results from both proposed methods are analyzed, and it is found that both algorithms can be utilized in any engineering problem to determine the global optimum value with corresponding input optimal settings. As the experimental method is time-consuming and expensive, analytical, and soft computing methods can be preferred over the experimental method.

Ferrocement, patented in 1856, is recognized for its efficiency and sustainability in structural applications. This paper reviews studies on reinforced ferrocement slabs, focusing on industrial slag incorporation as an eco-friendly alternative material. The review evaluates mechanical properties, structural behavior, and environmental benefits compared to conventional concrete. Industrial slag, by-products of manufacturing processes, show significant potential in enhancing ferrocement performance while reducing environmental impact. Optimal replacement levels were identified as 50% for ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and 15% for metakaolin, beyond which performance may decline. The study highlights nanoscale materials (nano-silica and nano-fly ash) for microstructural improvement, with nano-fly ash performing effectively at replacement levels up to 10%. This review provides insights into using industrial slag and nano-byproducts to develop sustainable, high-performance ferrocement slabs, advancing eco-efficient construction practices.

In this study, 10 ferroconcrete concrete (FC) beams with lightweight cores reinforced with welded steel mesh as a shear reinforcement were evaluated under three-point bending tests along with two conventionally normal-weight concrete (NWC) beams. Expanded polystyrene and lightweight aerated autoclaved brick wastes were used to create lightweight core concrete. The main factors include the type of lightweight concrete used for the core, beam concrete type, the form and number of holes, the existing steel mesh fabric, the hollow, and the hole placement. This study was done on the tested beams' ductility index, failure modes, first cracking loads and associated deflections, and ultimate loads besides corresponding deflections. Experimental results showed that the use of FC, various filling materials, and welded steel meshes in place of traditional stirrups enhanced the ultimate load by 36.6–107.3%, the ultimate deflection by 6–272%, and the ductility by 89–1155% when referenced to a control NWC beam. When the holing ratio increased from 10 to 20%, the ductility of FC beams was enhanced by 307.7%. Proposed equations were developed to predict the ultimate load and bending moment capacity of FC beams while taking into account the compressive strength of the beam body and filling material, the holing ratio, the tensile reinforcement ratio, and the volume fraction of the steel mesh.HighlightsThis study is focusing on structural performance of ferrocement beams with lightweight cores reinforced with steel mesh fabric as a shear reinforcement.Lightweight core concrete with steel mesh fabric reinforcement was made either using lightweight aerated autoclaved brick aggregate (LAABA) or expanded polystyrene (EP).Impact of core lightweight concrete type, shape/number of holes, existing steel mesh fabric, concrete type, existing hollow core, positioning of hole on structural performance of the beams were performed.Structural performance factors such ductility index, failure mechanism, first cracking loads and deflections and ultimate loads and deflections were studied.

Ferrocement is a cost-effective construction material used in the low-cost constructions. It is produced with the combination of cement mortar with closely spaced wire mesh known as chicken wire mesh. Ferrocement process eliminates coarse aggregates when compared to reinforced concrete thus makes the process simple. This paper deals with the influence of various characteristics of warp knitted fabric on the flexural properties of ferrocement composites. Ferrocement composites have a wide range of applications in the construction industry and it has some limitations due to the durability issues. Among the various durability issues, corrosion is one of the main issues to be addressed to enhance the long-term service life of the ferrocement composites. The idea of using non-metallic mesh to eliminate the corrosion problem is discussed in this paper. In this experiment, warp knitted fabric reinforced ferrocement composites were produced using polypropylene warp knitted fabrics. This paper deals with the flexural properties of ferrocement composites made of warp knitted fabric coated with expoxy. This paper deals with the flexural properties of ferrocement composites made of warp knitted fabric coated with expoxy. These composites were analyzed for their flexural strength, energy absorption and ductile property. The variables in the experiment are filament thickness, warp knitted structure and number of layers in the composites. Experimental results proved that the replacement of chicken mesh wire by warp knitted fabrics has an impact in the flexural properties of the composites and the effect of variables in the experiment set up has been analyzed. There is an imporvement of 200% is observed in the first crack load and 120% improvement in the ultimate load of the warp knit fabric reinforced composite compared to control sample. Experimental results proved that there is an increase in flexural strength of ferrocement composites made up with warp knitted fabrics. Microstructure studies like SEM and EDX on ferrocement laminates confirmed good bonding between the mortar mix and warp knitted fabrics.

Geopolymer mortar is the best solution as an alternative to cement mortar in civil engineering. This paper deals with the effect of geopolymer mortar on the strength and microstructural properties under ambient curing conditions. In this research, geopolymer mortars were prepared with fly ash and steel slag (in the ratio 1:2.0, 1:2.5 and 1:3.0) as precursors with NaOH and Na2SiO3 as activator solution solutions (in the ratios of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0) with concentrations of NaOH as 8 M, 10 M, 12 M and 14 M to study the compressive strength behaviour. From the experimental results, it was observed that the geopolymer mortar mix with the ratio of fly ash and steel slag 1:2.5, 12 M NaOH solution and the ratio of NaOH and Na2SiO3 0.5 exhibits the maximum compressive strength results in the range of 55 MPa to 60 MPa. From the optimized results, ferrocement panels of size 1000 mm × 1000 mm × 50 mm were developed to study the flexural behaviour. The experimental results of the flexural strength were compared with the analytical results developed through ABAQUS software. It was observed that the Trough-shaped geopolymer ferrocement panel exhibits 56% higher value in its ultimate strength than the analytical work. In addition to the strength properties, microstructural analysis was carried out in the form of SEM, EDAX and XRD from the tested samples.

Given the low tensile strength of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls, they are prone to out-of-plane failure, leading to eventual collapse of masonry buildings. In India and several other countries, seismic strengthening of URM buildings often utilizes ferrocement (welded wire mesh with micro-concrete or cement mortar). This study aims to investigate the efficacy of this technique in enhancing flexural capacity of URM walls in out-of-plane action. Six URM panels and 12 strengthened panels are subjected to flexural strength test, parallel and perpendicular to bed-joints. The effect of strengthening on common parameters, pertaining to out-of-plane flexural behaviour of ferrocement–URM composite walls, including failure modes, flexural strength, and modulus of rupture, is investigated. The experimental results are compared with analytical results obtained using ordinary beam theory. The results show that the URM panels exhibit sudden brittle failure whilst strengthened panels failed in a ductile fashion and exhibited a significant increase in the flexural strength. Further, the ordinary beam theory is able to predict the experimental results with reasonable accuracy.

In fact, the non-economic design of concrete structures is becoming a big challenge. Therefore, the objective of this research is to investigate the flexural behavior of ferrocement hollow beams experimentally and analytically. To achieve this objective, five specimens of reinforced concrete beams were prepared and tested under a single-point-loading system until failed. The beams have clear spans of 1500 mm and cross-section dimensions of 100 * 200 * 1600 mm. The ferrocement beams were strengthened with either welded wire mesh (WWM) or expanded metal mesh (EMM) and have an extruded foam core (EFC). The structural behaviors of the studied beams, including the measurements of first crack, deflection, ultimate load, failure mode, crack pattern, and ductility index, were investigated. In addition, finite-element model (ABAQUS) was validated using the experimental data. The results indicated that the use of a second layer of expanded steel mesh reinforcement in ferrocement beams was found to significantly enhance their performance. The addition of this reinforcement resulted in an increase in the ultimate load capacity and maximum deflection by 11.38% and 2.92%, respectively. Moreover, the finite-element models created using the ABAQUS finite-element program were validated against the experimental data. The comparison between the nonlinear finite-element (NLFE) ultimate loads and the experimental ultimate loads, with an average ratio of 0.96, varies between 0.94 and 0.98 in the numerical results. This indicates that the numerical models accurately predicted the beams' behavior.